Brimming temple tanks, lakes flood Ambattur

For the last two days none of her family members could step out of house owing to flooding. “We were forced to go to a bank in Ambattur O.T. to submit life certificate of my husband, who is a retired railway employee. Flood water has entered our house with the temple tank overflowing. We had no option but to walk in the flood water.”

Residents also fear spread of water-borne diseases. A mother of four-year-old daughter S. Mrudula said: “My daughter is already been infected with dengue once and am scared that water stagnation would multiply mosquito breeding.”

For years, Ambattur remained one of the underdeveloped suburbs having no drainage system. Also, being a low-lying area things are no better whenever it pours. It would take days for the hundreds of families living between the Ambattur lake and Korattur lake to limp back to normalcy with both the lakes overflowing. Rampant encroachments in the Ambattur lake area in Iyyapakkam are primarily responsible for the flooding. Industrial activity in the area is also affected and several companies have shut shop incurring huge losses.